Astrophysicists at the University of Hawaii at Hilo
have become partners in the Pan-STARRS project, an observatory that
will search the sky for dangerous asteroids and other unexpected
celestial events.

The prototype telescope, with a single 70-inch-diameter (1.8-m)
mirror, is currently under construction on Haleakala and will shortly
be outfitted with the world's largest digital camera, a device
with 1.4 billion pixels. The full Pan-STARRS observatory, which is
expected to be completed in 2009, will have four such mirrors and
will survey the whole sky several times each month.

Scientists on the Hilo campus will contribute both to the development
of the system and to reaping the scientific rewards that will follow
once the observatory becomes operational. Students and faculty at
UH Hilo will also be active in spreading the word of the educational
opportunities arising from the project in the local community and
will develop material that can be used in high schools to promote
the project.

A major goal of Pan-STARRS is to discover and characterize Earth-approaching
objects, both asteroids and comets, that might pose a danger to our
planet. However, the huge volume of images produced by this system
will provide valuable data for many other kinds of scientific programs.

The final system is planned to replace the University's 36-year-old
2.2-meter (88-inch) telescope on Mauna Kea. IfA Director Rolf Kudritzki
said, "Pan-STARRS is the first major telescope facility to be
developed by the IfA in several decades. It leverages the unique
features of Hawaiian observing sites, which deliver the sharpest
images on the planet, as well as the enormous strengths in both technological
and scientific skills that have been built up at the University.
Larger telescopes on Mauna Kea will be used to follow up the discoveries
of Pan-STARRS."

"We welcome the participation of our colleagues and students
from UH Hilo," said Nick Kaiser, leader of the project. UH Hilo
Physics Department Chair Robert Fox said, "Our involvement with
Pan-STARRS greatly expands UH Hilo's ability to provide a unique
astronomy education on the slopes of one of the world's premier
observational sites."